The present disclosure relates in general to controlling and connecting to cabin services within an aircraft, particularly passenger cabin services.
Passengers seated in airplanes may not be able to access controls for controlling passenger cabin services in certain situations. For example, a passenger seated in a wide body airplane where passenger cabin services (e.g., overhead lights) are too far away to reach from a seated position cannot control the passenger cabin services during certain portions of the flight (e.g., during takeoff, landing and when the fasten seat belt light is on). Moreover, even if the passenger is able to stand, it is more difficult and requires more effort to operate the passenger cabin services because the passenger must remove his or her seatbelt and then stand or uncomfortably partially stand to operate the passenger cabin services.
In order to make it easier for passengers to operate the passenger cabin services in certain airplanes, Reading Light/Call Light (RL/CL) switches may be installed in every passenger seat (instead of above the passenger seat). If the airplane has no other In Flight Entertainment (IFE) installed in the seats, then the switches are wired to a seat control box mounted in the seat group. Wires run from an In Flight Entertainment (IFE) Head End, located in one place in the airplane, to every seat or seat control box in the airplane. The IFE Head End forwards the digital switch commands across an airplane communication network to a Cabin Service System (CSS) Controller. A database, configured at the time the airplane seating layout is designed, maps the switch command from IFE to the correct light and corresponding CSS path, a combination of electrical ports and switches in boxes installed throughout the airplane overhead area. The signal eventually enables the power at the location of, for example, a reading light, for the light to turn on.
This implementation requires a large amount of wiring and equipment, and a complex sequence of hardware design and database definition. The wiring adds cost and weight to the airplane, and it is very inflexible. If the airline wants to change seat locations, all impacted wiring and equipment must be moved or redesigned, and the corresponding database changes must be coordinated between the airline and equipment manufacturers.
Thus, in conventional infrastructures, either it is difficult or impossible for a passenger to operate the passenger cabin services while in a seated position or implementing the connection infrastructure for controlling passenger cabin services from the seat is complex and adds weight to the plane.